"You're late," Parker joked as I pushed open the KTV door and light hit my face. "Parker," I said, dropping my bag. "Traffic, my phone, and a terrible decision to stop for noodles." "Terrible decision?" he grinned. "You mean the only correct decision of the year." "You always say that," I said, scanning the room. "Where's my seat?" "Saved, queen," Parker announced. "Right by the speakers. You owe me a song." "Deal." I shrugged and let him steer me through the pockets of noise: laughter, clinking glasses, someone trying to belt a pop chorus into the mic and failing in an entertaining way. "Who's the corner boy?" Parker asked, nodding toward a shadowed table. I glanced the way he pointed. A guy sat half hidden behind a menu, hoodie pulled low, attention split between his phone and the room. He looked older than everyone else. He looked...familiar. "Don't tell me that's Gideon," one of Parker's friends said. "I heard he never comes out." "Parker, do you know him?" I asked. "He used to live upstairs from Ari's cousin," Parker said. "Kid genius. Code wizard. Talks in speech bubbles. But he has the best late-night snack routes." "Parker." I clicked my tongue. "That's not an introduction." "Parker's friends, meet Kaelyn the late and fabulous," Parker said, presenting me like a trophy. "Hi," I said, and people whooped. "Sing us something," a girl shouted. "I will," I said. "After dessert." The